Ookla: Starlink beats local competition on download speeds

MANILA, Philippines — Elon Musk’s satellite internet has a leg up over local competition as Ookla Speedtest data showed SpaceX’s offering outpaced the download speeds of other service providers in the Philippines. 

Despite this, Ookla Speedtest data revealed SpaceX’s Starlink is lagging behind its fixed broadband internet competition in terms of upload speeds and latency.

The new data was compiled in the first quarter.

Broken down, Starlink’s median download speeds clocked in at 110.78 Megabits per second, besting 89.57 Mbps across local competition.

Major players in the fixed broadband internet space include Ayala-led Globe Telecom, Inc., Pangilinan-backed PLDT Inc., Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. and SkyCable. 

Despite the rosy figures, Starlink’s median upload speed posted 13.69 Mbps compared to the 88.14 Mbps clocked in by all fixed broadband internet service providers in the Philippines.

Latency, or ping, proved high as well. Starlink recorded 162 milliseconds versus the 22 ms tallied across local competition. 

A high latency generally entails delays in bandwidth speeds, which could leave internet browsing or gaming experience less than satisfactory. 

SpaceX announced in February that its satellite internet is now available in the Philippines, touted by experts to stir competition in the country’s internet space. — Ramon Royandoyan